BACTERIOPHAGE

INTRODUCTION
• A bacteriophage
(informally, phage) is a
virus that infects and
replicates within bacteria.
The term is derived from
'bacteria' and the Greek
phagein "to devour/eat".
Bacteriophages are
composed of proteins
that encapsulate a DNA
or RNA genome, and may
have relatively simple or
elaborate structures
 TYPES OF PHAGES

• Bacteriophages
have been
classified into many
arbitary groups.
Some of the broad
groups are as
under:
(i) T-phages
(ii) Virulent and
temperate phages.
 T-PHAGES
• T standing for ‘type’.
• These are characterised by
presence of tail.
• They form the largest
group.
• They contain dsDNA.
• T-phages have been
divided into the following 3
sub-groups:
(i) T-even phages (T2,T4,T6)
(ii) T-odd phages (T1,T3,T7)
(iii)T5 phages
 VIRULENT AND TEMPERATE
PHAGES
• Depending on the
interaction of
phages with the
bacterial cell, they
have been
distinguished into
virulent or lytic
and avirulent or
temperate
phages.
 STRUCTURE
• Bacteriophages are very
small and cannot be
separated even by bacterial
filters.
• It is generally differentiated
into head and tail. There are
some phages that are
filamentous.
• The extended part between
head and tail is collar.
• At the proximal end of tail a
hexagonal tail plate or end
plate is present. It has 6
pins or fibres.
 REPLICATION
• Bacteriophages may have a
lytic cycle or a lysogenic cycle
, and a few viruses are
capable of carrying out both.
• The process of multiplication
involves the following four
steps
(i) infection
(ii) synthesis of phage
components in the host cells
(iii) assembly of new phage
particles
(iv) liberation of phage
particles from the host cells
 COMPARISION

LYTIC LYSOGENIC
• With lytic phages such • In contrast, the
as the T4 phage, lysogenic cycle does not
result in immediate lysing
bacterial cells are
of the host cell. Their viral
broken open (lysed) genome will integrate with
and destroyed after host DNA and replicate
immediate replication along with it fairly
harmlessly, or may even
become established as a
plasmid. The virus remains
dormant until host
conditions deteriorate
 ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
• Phages has been used in prophylaxis and
treatment against dysentery, enteric fever and
many other pathogenic bacterial diseases. This is
known as phage therapy.
• Phages are also used in diagnosis of certain
infections.
• Phages are also helpful in lysis of bacteria in the
polluted water as scavangers.
• In space microbiology lysogenic cultures are used
as radiation detector.
• Phages are often very harmful as they kill
beneficial micro-organisms by the lysogenic
activity during the process of manufacture of
THANK YOU
MADE BY: DIVYANSHU
B.Sc. I (ZBC)
YADAV

ROLL NO.: 33113